Aiden nodded. "Marius ran our house growing up and I'm pretty sure Ryuu will be the only thing keeping us alive after the babies are born."
Ryuu gave a modest shrug. "Every house gets a bit chaotic when a baby arrives."
Kari sighed. "I am not looking forward to doing all the laundry."
Sebastian moved away from Magnus. "Do not worry I will be there to help." He dismissed Magnus with a hand wave. "I am sure Magnus can manage making his own meals a few nights a week."
Magnus stopped chewing. "What now?"
Kari stared up at Sebastian with huge eyes. "You would help us that much?"
"Of course! And I will babysit whenever you need me," he offered.
Magnus rubbed his chin in thought. "I do enjoy cooking shows," he admitted.
Broderick looked at Magnus in horror before turning to Rex. "I think a Lionhart squire is a wonderful idea."
Magnus looked offended. "This could be a great opportunity. I do not even know what the kitchen really looks like or how things are laid out. I may have to change things a bit."
Sebastian's smile faltered. "What?"
Magnus looked over to his brother. "We could try new dishes together." He turned back to Meryn. "Meryn, can you be a dear and look up the recipe for that dessert where you use a mini flame thrower," he asked excitedly.
Sebastian paled. "I am sure I can manage our kitchen and helping Kari, you do not need to cook Magnus," he backtracked quickly.
Meryn's fingers were already moving. "Magnus will you buy me a real flame thrower."
"Of course, dear," Magnus answered.
"See! That! That right there!" Aiden exclaimed. "We need parameters."
Meryn stuck her tongue out at her mate. "He already said yes."
Sebastian wiped his hands on his towel. "I will ask Pavil if he knows of any squires that he trusts to move down to Level One. We can conduct interviews after the virus is cured."
"But..." Magnus protested looking crushed.
Sebastian shook his head. "Stay out of my kitchen." He looked around the table. "Looks like we are out of coffee. Be right back." He hurried through the doors to the kitchen.
The moment the door closed Meryn's fingers stilled and she put her laptop away beside her chair. She and Magnus exchanged winks.
Beth gasped. "You..." she covered her mouth with her hands and looked around making sure Sebastian couldn't hear her.
Magnus took a sip of his juice. "What a truly amazing morning," he said to no one in particular. He looked over to Kari. "I think getting you a squire is an excellent idea. Babies are a lot of work and you will need someone you can rely on around the clock to assist you."
Sebastian slunk back into the dining room looking defeated. "I still want to help babysit," he said quietly, holding a carafe of coffee to his chest.
Kari stood and hurried over to the squire. "Of course, you can! In fact, I will not take on any squire unless you approve of them. They must pass every test you can think of. Getting someone you recommend is the second-best thing to having your help. I trust you implicitly."
Sebastian looked overwhelmed. "It would be an honor to help." He kissed her forehead and she walked back to her chair. He glared at Magnus. "That was mean."
Magnus shrugged. "You will be busy arranging things for our Bethy even after she returns to Lycaonia, do not be greedy and try to monopolize all the babies."
"That is true, I already have things on backorder for her." He reached down and plucked at Magnus' sleeve. "And you need an entirely new wardrobe," Sebastian said staring at Magnus' rolled up cuffs again.
Magnus eyed his shirt in disgust. "I could understand if I gained height like Gavriel or even noticeable bulk like our commander here," he said pointing to Aiden. "But to only grow enough so that none of my clothes fit is ridiculous." He blushed slightly. "I will not even go into how my underthings chafe."
"You should totally wear sweats and free ball it," Meryn suggested.